The Department of Human Resource Management recently hosted a high profile knowledge exchange event through the auspices of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's Knowledge into Practice (KIP) initiative. This initiative aims to bring together academics and practitioners to share ideas, learn about practice and develop collaborations. Speakers at the event were Professor Phil Taylor from the department of Human Resource Management; Alison Locke, who specialises in employment tribunals for Brodies Solicitors; Alan Taylor, Senior HR Officer, Glasgow City Council; and Kerry Bates, HR Officer from the Scottish mental health charity, SAMH.
Attended by over 70 delegates, including 50 practitioners from a range of private, public and voluntary organisations, the workshop considered the challenging issue of sickness absence in the workplace. Participants at the workshop were encouraged to think critically about the importance of philosophy, policy and practice in sickness absence.
Professor Dennis Nickson, head of the Department of Human Resource Management, was delighted at facilitating such a high profile event. In his opening remarks to the workshop he commented, 'As a department with a strong level of engagement with the policy and practitioner communities we believe that the KIP initiative is an excellent vehicle to share ideas, disseminate good practice and encourage critical and engaged debate between the academic and practitioner communities'.